Don Shaffer (center), UWYC Campaign Executive, introduces Bob and Sharon Bell.

Last week the United Way of Yavapai County (UWYC) introduced Prescott City Councilman Bob Bell and his wife, Sharon as the 2008 Campaign Cabinet Co-Chairs during the Community Leaders in Giving Reception which was held at the StoneRidge Clubhouse in Prescott Valley.

Sharon Bell described how she and Bob felt about their new position, "We're very excited about that. The way the traditional United Way campaign works, is we try to find leaders in industries that will help us target those types of businesses then contribute. Whether it's by employee matches, or whether it's by employee contributions, doing special events, marketing and advertising. The big thing is, the more money we can raise, the better off everyone will be in Yavapai County through the United Way agencies."  

Tammy Linn, Director of UWYC, noted in the invitations she mailed out, "It's because of people like you that we are able to continue helping more than 80,000 people in need each year in Yavapai County."

Linn wasn't just talking about the Bells, she was also speaking of the people and businesses that had donated so generously the year before. As Linn introduced the community leaders who were in attendance, she was full of praise for not only their efforts, but their extraordinary results. One such group highlighted by Linn were the local banks, which got together and decided to hold a friendly competition amongst themselves, called "Battle of the Banks" to see who could raise the most in contributions. As these financial institutions rose to meet the challenge, Linn said, almost all of the participating banks increased their donations by fifty percent or more. Linn introduced numerous people, and described how their businesses had increased their donations significantly over the last year. 

Sharon and Bob Bell, discussing their goals for the upcoming campaign.

Sharon Bell spoke about how painless it is to donate, "With United Way, it's an ideal way to give back to your community because you're covering such a large base of agencies and it's done through employee deductions, you barely miss it. Throughout the year, a few dollars every week or every two weeks out of your paycheck, you barely miss it. It makes a huge impact."

In our tightening economy, usually people want to know where the money is going, how far it will stretch and whether or not it will be used for the intended purpose. All of those concerns are answered by donating to UWYC, as Sharon Bell said, "...that's why it works so well, and that's because the majority of that money goes directly to services and opportunities for people to get help when they need it. It's similar to a grant process in some ways, so there are outcomes that have to be met, those agencies are held accountable for the money they receive from United Way. It's really important that the money is used exactly as it's supposed to be used."

BlueCross BlueShield: Not Just a Phoenix Company

Marty Laurel, the Vice President of Community Relations for BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), which was the host sponsor of the event. Laurel explained why BCBS chose to sponsor the reception, "We are involved in supporting the local non-profits, but United Way in local communities know where the need is, and they know it a lot better than we do, and it's a real good way to make sure the dollars get to the right people, the right organizations. So that's one real big reason we support the United Way."

Although the BCBS does not have an office in Yavapai County, Laurel said, "basically, we want people to know that we're not just a Phoenix company coming up here, we're an Arizona company. Nobody owns us out of state, we're local, and so we feel responsible to give back to the communities we serve. And we do that through supporting organizations like United Way."

Laurel paused, and then offered a personal observation, "This particular United Way has every bit to do with Tammy, they aren't just in the business of providing financial assistance, look what she did with providing wood project last winter, and giving the gifts to the soldiers. If there was any one organization in a community that people in need can go to, it's the United Way, and they really are there to help. And people are so lucky to have somebody like Tammy... There's some good people doing awfully good work, and they're all in United Way." 

YRMC: We're Delighted to Be Part of the Solution 

Tim Barnett, CEO of Yavapai Regional Medical Center,  who saw the contributions from his employees increase significantly over the past year, said, "We do both east and west campuses and give all our employees a chance to contribute. Fortunately, our employees understand the needs of the community and tend to be very generous in meeting the needs of the community, and they recognize that there's some families that struggle, and some services that wouldn't be provided any other way if it wasn't for United Way."

Barnett's employees have seen many patients in a tough situation, and he pointed out the value of what United Way is doing, "It does affect us, we're a large not-for-profit, and we take care of everybody regardless of their ability to pay, and so we see those needs when people have health considerations and concerns, and we're just delighted that we can be part of the solution and help out and that there's an agency to take care of them."

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